The Order
by crappyfriend
Summary: For thousands of years, a war has been fought in the shadows. Over the years the war has changed from one of ideology, to simply making sure that the other side does not win. This war has been at a stalemate for hundreds of years now with no end in sight. The investigation into Vale's Dust robberies was just meant to be another battle in a war few remember how it started. It wasn's
1. Chapter 1

Deep underground, in a chamber where the only light came from the flickering torches hanging on the walls, five robed figures stood observing the sixth figure kneeling in front of them. They had stood there for a minute observing the figure in front of them before one of them spoke.

"Initiate, you have been working long and hard for this day. Your trials have been tough and there have been times you have failed, but you always stood back up again. But you must know that the next step will be more hazardous than your previous challenges. It might even end up with your death."

The speaker let the final word linger in the air for a few seconds before she continued.

"Will you still continue your path with the knowledge that you will live a life where death might one day find you?"

The initiates words were strong and resolute.

"Death comes for us all one day, what matters is how I lived it."

"The speakers' shoulders seemed to slump with some unknown weight before drawing out a small object from her robe. The object was a case made of silver and gold. It was decorated with a language few would understand today.

Opening it to unveil what is on the inside revealed a small crystal the size of the speakers' hand and it was glowing faintly.

"Then grab the crystal filled with our founders' magic and fill it with your own. You may recite your vow and know that when you are done you will be considered an agent of the Order with all the responsibilities that come with it."

Taking the crystal, the initiate took the crystal and started bringing up his magic from deep within him to fill it. The magical energy from two different people collided together and brought forth a light show bright enough to light up the entire chamber. He started reciting the vow that so many of his ancestors has done before.

"I hereby swear that I will protect the light of this world, to hold the darkness at bay at all cost. To protect the innocent and punish those who seek to hurt them. I will be the shield that protects my comrades and the sword that will cut down enemies to the Order. This is my promise to both the Order and myself."

Finishing the vow, he put the crystal back in the case and waited.

"Now rise Jaune Arc and let me be the first to welcome you to the Order."

* * *

Rising up from his kneeling position, Jaune bowed to the Elders in front of him.

The initiation was over and Jaune couldn't be happier, he didn't mess up on his words or fill the crystal too fast. The number of times he filled one too quickly and it exploded, were too many to count.

Saying his thanks, Jaune left the chamber and out into the hallway that was just as well lit. As he went toward the exit he passed a long queue of similarly dressed people. With how long the line was it would probably take an hour or more before the one furthest back would be done.

He has never been more appreciative of his last name beginning with 'A' than he is now. He was the second one in thanks to that.

Finally reaching the exit and he was finally able to feel the sun after what felt like a long time. Technically he wasn't feeling the actual sun as they were underground, but the sigils that the city used were perfectly able to simulate it.

He didn't stand there for long as the initiation might be over it didn't mean that he was done with his duties for today. He hadn't yet received his assignment and he couldn't exactly meet with the Council with his Initiation robes still on.

The first place he would have to go would the family house to change his clothes. He shouldn't receive his summons until everyone has graduated, which would take roughly two hours, two hours he could spend relaxing.

Jaune stopped at the Bazaar on his way there as he felt hungry and the food there was always the best.

Stopping at a stall that smelled especially delicious to order some shawarma that they were selling. As they prepared his order he stood there observing they way the prepared it.

Each stall had its own way of making things that would make them stand out.

Sigils that would keep food at a consistent temperature, Dust sewn into clothing or wine that has been aged perfectly thanks to a Time-Acceleration spell.

Observing the process he could sense several times where he used magic to either adjust the heat on the oven or the Preservation spells that the vegetables had.

When he received what he ordered, he paid the coins that were asked for and gave his thanks. He couldn't help eating it now even though he planned to wait until he came home.

By the time he arrived at the house, there was barely a mouthful left, which he finished with the time it took to open the door.

The house was empty today with most of his family being on missions, in meeting or back home preparing for the party. With how many that graduated from his town the celebrations meant for each one would probably merge into one big party. He just hopes they won't go overboard.

Finally being able to change from the robe into something that isn't as loose feels liberating. He knows that tradition is important, but it always feels that the robes constrict your movements too much.

Changing into formal wear that consist of a long coat, a vest and long pants makes Jaune comfortable. It helps that the fabric its made of actually allows for airflow.

Taking a good look in the mirror to make sure everything was right, just a few wrinkles that he quickly took care of, he went for the door. It was only thirty minutes left until the graduation was over and he would receive his summons. Being there early wouldn't hurt.

But as he opened the door he was met with a pleasant surprise.

"Isn't that my old friend Jaune Arc, fancy seeing you here!" Said Sky Lark one of Jaune's oldest friends.

"At my house, shouldn't I be asking what you are doing here so early?" Him being done now wasn't a surprise since his last name made sure he wasn't that far back.

It was weird because they promised each other that they would meet at the Council chambers.

"I got bored." The answer shouldn't have been sufficient but for Sky, it was enough.

Jaune could only sigh at this, knowing that he wouldn't give him a better answer than that. Locking the door he started walking with Sky to the Council Chambers.

They talked about all kinds of thing on the way there with topics ranging from games they played to what they will be doing after this. But the topic they talked about the most was what their assignment would be.

What the assignment would end up to be could be anything, as long at it matched your speciality. Sky's speciality being infiltration and Jaune's being investigation meant that they might not be able to contact each other for a long time.

That's mostly the reason why they had decided to meet up before they have to go back home. Sky being early meant that he wanted some extra time to talk. With how some missions would require you to only be able to interact with those relevant to the mission.

When they arrived at the destination, they had to split as they would be receiving their assignments in different areas. Saying good luck on their assignments they went their separate ways.

When Jaune arrived at his area, it was almost empty with only a few people seated. He found a seat close to the door and waited.

People started to arrive not long after with the room soon becoming packed. Names were called not long after the room was filled.

When they called for him, he tried his best to hide how nervous he was. He's been told that the first one they give is always simple but he's still nervous that he might get one that's harder than expected.

Walking through the doors he is met with a room that looks both very similar and different to the Initiation chamber.

The room has the exact same design but instead of torches lighting up the room they have actual electric lights. The atmosphere feels different too, its much lighter making him feel much more at ease.

Walking to the centre of the room, he waits for them to speak.

"Jaune Arc, today you stand where so many of your ancestors have stood before. This assignment has been specifically assigned to you based upon your speciality and skillset. We have been informed of several Dust shops in Vale being robbed of all of their Dust, which wouldn't have required our attention normally."

From what Jaune remembers they would leave it to the police depending on how much has been stolen. He wonders what would make it big enough for them to investigate.

"But the Dust that's been stolen has not been returned or ended up on the Blackmarket. The amount stolen is starting to get dangerously high and with how Dust is the only thing stolen we are concerned."

"Your mission will be to assist in the ongoing investigation and to find out who is behind this and find the Dust that has been stolen. Do you accept?"

The mission didn't sound too complicated, he wouldn't be investigating suspicious Templar or Cabal activity at least.

"I accept."


	2. Chapter 2

Tonight will be Jaune's first official mission alone and he was nervous.

He's been in Vale for three days with most of his time used to catch up on the current situation. By the time he was done he felt like this situation was stranger than he thought it would be.

While it was true that none of the Dust that had been stolen had been put on the black market, they had also found out only recently that none of it has been transported out of the city. There are no smugglers that would have the resources to transport the ridiculous amount of Dust that has been stolen. The ones who can are busy smuggling it in rather than out.

Roman Torchwick being behind the crimes made even less sense. According to his profile, Roman's preferred kind of heist would involve stealing artefacts or objects of great value from individuals. The only people he has been stealing from has been Dust shops, sometimes multiple times from the same one.

With all this information, a plan was formed to send agents out to possible targets to personally observe. The information they have is about the robberies are witness testimonies and they have yet to see one personally.

That was why Jaune was outside now in civilian clothes on his way to his assigned target. We had decided on shops that would be the most likely to be robbed next based on the info they had. For each place we chose, we sent out three people. One to observe from the inside and two from a distance.

From Dust Till Dawn was a small shop that mostly specialized in selling Dust. It's one of the few places in the city that hasn't been robbed yet and is known for its premium Dust at reasonable prices.

The shopkeep gave a greeting when he heard the chime from the door as Jaune came in before going back to stacking shelves behind the counter. Jaune found himself a good spot further inside near one of the magazine racks.

After picking up a random magazine to pretend to read, he waited.

He had come here an hour before closing time, the thieves would usually come close to or just before a shop closes. Why they would come so late could be explained by them wanting to make sure there were as few people as possible inside. Though if they wanted that they could have just gone after closing time since they only want the Dust and not the money.

Questions for later.

It had barely been ten minutes since he arrived when they came. The went through the door one after another, spreading throughout the store with the last one locking the door and shutting the blinds. They dressed more for a night on the town than the robbery they were currently committing, though they were heavily armed.

One of them was walking towards him.

Jaune could have taken him out, he was trained to fight barehanded, but he had multiple reasons not to. The mission being one where his only task was to observe was the main one. The shopkeep that was currently being threatened at gunpoint was another as he wouldn't be fast enough to stop them from taking him hostage. That there hadn't been a single death and only minor injuries on each robbery also meant that the safest option was just to wait.

He had already sent a message to command about this with the two outside most likely have done the same. That's why Jaune complied when the man told him to lay down, making sure to appear terrified as he did.

The robbery would have most likely gone smoothly from there with the robbers leaving as soon as they were done. The two outside would follow them to wherever their hideout was while he would report back. That's how things would have gone at least.

All the plans the thieves had for a quiet getaway were ruined when the sound of shattered glass was heard.

Everyone in the store had gone quiet as the guy that was watching over him moved to investigate. Jaune couldn't see what had happened as he was currently laying on the floor. He didn't have much time to think about the sound before they seemed to escalate in both diversity and volume. By the time he stood up, he could hear people yelling and the sound of weapons clashing.

When he arrived, the shop had looked like any other Dust shop with containers in all kinds of sizes and shapes filled with Dust. Now, it looked more like a battlefield than a store with many of the containers either on the ground or brokes, letting the Dust within them mix with other types of Dust that shouldn't be mixed.

It was that which made it time for him to break his cover. While certain types of Dust can be mixed and was done regularly as some Dust exists by combining two or more types. For example by combining Water and Air Dust to create Ice Dust.

Jaune was currently about to see an example of Dust that shouldn't be mixed in the quantities he was currently seeing. While combining Air and Fire Dust was a good option for battle it was not so good when it was done in a Dust shop.

While Dust manipulation was a skill that everyone learned as they grew up, it did not mean that everyone was equally good at it. Jaune could say that his skill was at the very least passable.

While he made sure that the Dust didn't blow up, it was luckily the thing one learned first as it was the most essential skill if you ever wanted to conjure a weapon out of it. He has personally experienced what happens when you fail.

He could hear that the fighting was still continuing outside, but he focused most of his attention on the task in front of him. He was fortunately relieved by the team command must have sent, Jaune was mentally exhausted after that. His last task before going to bed would be to report the situation.

He was still wondering how he would explain what exactly happened by the time he had to give the report.

* * *

The day after Jaune felt much better.

The exhaustion had mostly left him and he only had to go to one more meeting before he had the rest of the day off.

Jaune hadn't heard much about what happened after he was done with the report as he had gone straight to bed after that. He has only heard whispers since he came this morning about 'Beacon' and 'suspicious'. He didn't think so much about that as he would mostly be focusing on Vale, it was only when he got a summon to the Vale Council with Beacon as the focus, that he wished he had cared more.

The room he walked into was similar to the one where he got his assignment to Vale, with the only differences that it was a lot smaller with only three members. The door had barely locked before they went straight to what they would talk about, skipping the pleasantries.

"We will keep this meeting short as there is not much time left." The speaker said as a picture of a young girl was given to him.

Jaune wondered exactly what the girl had to do with his mission until he noticed an important detail, she had silver eyes.

"This is Ruby Rose, as you can see she possesses silver eyes which means that she is in danger. Normally, we would send someone to protect her or relocate her, but as of last night that option is no longer possible." She paused, giving him to ask a question.

"I understand the task, but how is this relevant to me?" Jaune had never met the girl and they would only send people with years of training to protect a silver-eyed warrior. It wouldn't make sense to send someone who is still on their first mission.

"She was the girl that interrupted the robbery last night and a student of Signal Academy. Maybe we should say former student as we got a notice two hours ago that someone with the same name was just entered into Beacon Academy's database. Fifteen years old, silver eyes and is allowed in three days before initiation starts. This is something that requires investigation."

Jaune could see how something like that sounded suspicious and could understand how an investigation like that would take priority over his current assignment.

"But why me?" With an organization this large, they could easily find someone more qualified.

"To be honest, this whole thing took us by surprise and you're the only one we are certain could do the job. It would take too much time to find someone else and the window where we can falsify your documents without it looking suspicious is quickly closing. We will give you time to think but we will need an answer within the hour." 

"How would I even fit in? My speciality is Investigation, not Infiltration." His grades in those classes were bad for a reason.

"It's a Huntsman school, I would be surprised if you did fit in. They are known for being eccentric, so just be yourself."

Jaune accepted the mission five minutes later. He was given all the information he would need and time to prepare as they took care of the rest. Jaune did his best to memorize everything important and nothing looked to different from how he was trained back home, except for one thing.

He wasn't sure who was crazy enough to think that throwing students off a cliff was a good idea.


End file.
